Coin of Justin II c. 575 - 576

Curator: This is a coin crafted under Justin II, residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. It weighs in at just under 14 grams. Editor: It feels ancient, weighty with history, even though it's so small. I can almost smell the marketplace where it changed hands. Curator: Note the meticulous detail; it's a testament to the engraver's skill, rendering authority and value through symbolic form. The 'M,' a denomination mark, anchors the composition. Editor: I'm drawn to the wear and tear. Each scratch whispers a story. It's like holding a tiny, tangible link to the past. Curator: Precisely. The coin's materiality also invites contemplation on value systems—both economic and symbolic—of a bygone era. Editor: Right, the layers of meaning embedded are pretty dense. It makes you wonder about the hands it passed through, the lives it touched. Curator: Indeed, this coin serves as an eloquent fragment, inviting us to ponder Byzantine artistry and political assertion. Editor: So, what began as simple currency now invites us to consider history’s enduring, sometimes mysterious, presence.